Exploring the Potential of Wild Salvia macilenta Boiss. of Oman as Nutraceuticals

Abstract

Background: Several plant extracts are now prescribed as nutraceuticals for human ailments in developed countries like China, France, Germany, the UK, USA including Oman. The objective of this study was to investigate on morphological characteristics, chlorophyll content of leaves, leaf chlorophyll, essential oil, and its chemical compounds to examine the possibility of isolating its incipient chemical compounds commercially in wild Salvia macilenta Boiss. Methods: Leaf samples of ten randomly selected Salvia plants were collected from two diversified wadi habitats. Edaphic features of the sites were recorded and their chemical contents, determined. Morphological characters were measured and chlorophyll contents, recorded. The essential oil (EO) was extracted and analyzed for chemical compounds. The data were statistically analyzed. Results: Al-Khoud plants had higher expressivity in all the morphological characters and chlorophyll contents than those of Halban. The EO yields of Salvia macilenta were 0.06 % (v/w) and 0.088 % (v/w) for the plant samples of Al-Khoud and Halban, respectively. The values of commonly occurring chemical contents of plants of two sites were found statistically similar (p<0.05). The top ten chemical compounds of plants contributed over 75% of the total and were common with seven chemical compounds. Of the ten top chemical compounds, alpha-Pinene, beta- Eudesmol, and Nerolidol contributed the highest in the same range from 61.13% (Al-Khoud) to 62.95% (Halban). These three compounds have the potential for use in both the pharmaceutical and perfumery industries. Conclusion: Wild Salvia plants can be exploited with Good Agriculture Practices for their medicinal and aromatic application.